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more about Karen... | View Complete Booklist(printer friendly)
I'll readily admit I get off on manipulating other people's lives.
However, since my kids don't share my enthusiasm for such things, I decided, in the interest of preserving family harmony, to manipulate people I make up instead. Actually, my characters are more prone to simply popping up in my brain, unannounced and irritatingly demanding, before I ever have a chance to shake out my bag of Character Traits and piece them together. But being able to dump them into situations and see what they'll do is immensely satisfying. There are days, of course, when the characters are as sullen and stubborn as my nine-year-old and refuse to clue me in as to what they're thinking. And those are the days when I wonder what on earth possessed me to think I could be a writer. But more often than not, I'm continually delighted, surprised and amazed by the things these phantoms of my imagination come up with. And when a scene that's been eluding me for days. . .weeks. . .months finally "clicks". . .well, that's a little bit of heaven, folks.
But why do I write romance novels (you know. . .those books)?
Quite simply, because I believe there's nothing more precious than two people not only finding each other, but working through the obstacles keeping them apart. Of all the plot devices humankind has reworked a million times since the dawn of storytelling, none have endured more than the love story. And I'm proud to be able to contribute to that time-honored literary tradition, to maybe make you laugh or get all choked up as my characters stumble along on their way to a happy ending that I truly believe everybody deserves. Aside from the occasional prince or princess thrown in for fun, for the most part my stories are about ordinary people -- people with kids and pets and mortgage payments and perhaps "jobs" instead of "careers". . .people like your own sister or father or the real estate agent who sold you your last house. I find endless fodder for stories in the minutae of human experience, and firmly believe everyday life has every bit as much potential for high drama as a high-stakes car chase.
So. That's what I do, and why I've been doing it for the past nine years.
As for who I am. . .well, I'm one of those ordinary people, a typical American mutt living in the wilds of suburbia with five sons (off and on -- as they get older, they tend to drift in and out of our lives -- and our house!), two cats, a husband and a minivan. I scrub toilets and watch Desperate Housewives and wrap a gazillion presents at Christmas and periodically despair of ever turning my kids into functioning human beings. I have a degree in Costume Design, but I also studied art, ballet, drama and voice back in my pre-Mommy days, and ran a successful mail-order crafts business for nearly ten years before the writing bug finally bit hard enough that I could no longer ignore it. I completed my first full length adult novel in 1995, quickly followed by a second. Not knowing any better, I figuratively knocked on Silhouette's door in early 1996, said I had these two books, would they like to see them? Eleven months later, they actually bought one. Since then, I've sold twenty more novels and have far too many in the pipeline than is good for my sanity. For the curious in the audience, there's a link to my entire backlist, including blurblets and ISBN numbers. My more recent books/upcoming releases have their own pages with excerpts and everything (can you stand the excitement?). Those books still available new are linked to Barnes and Noble.com. And please, please, PLEASE -- I absolutely adore hearing from my readers! So don't be shy about emailing me I pass along all the good stuff to my editor (who's an absolute doll and without whom I'd still be doing crafts shows in school gymnasiums), although I promise, I don't divulge names. Ever.
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Book Series | |
| Babies Inc. | |
| Babies Inc. series | |
| Families are Forever | |
| Guys and Daughters | |
| How to Marry a Monarch | |
| Jersey Boys | |
| Summer Sisters | |
| The Men of Mayes County | |
| Wed in the West | |
| Weddings Inc. series | Book
List | |
More Than She Expected (04/14)
Real Mr. Right, The (02/14)
Marriage Campaign, The (02/13)
Gift for All Seasons, A (10/12)
Doctor's Do-Over, The (09/12)
Fortune's Cinderella (01/12)
Husband Under Construction (06/11)
Adding Up To Marriage (10/10)
Marriage-Minded Man, A (09/09)
From Friends To Forever (08/09)
Reigning In The Rancher (01/09)
Mother's Wish, A (08/08)
Baby, I'm Yours (04/08)
Your, Mine... Or Ours? (01/08)
Dear Santa (11/07)
Pride And Pregnancy (04/07)
Prodigal Valentine, The (02/07)
Baby Steps (12/06)
Husband's Watch, A (03/06)
Marriage, Interrupted (11/05)
Swept Away (04/05)
Hanging by a Thread (11/04)
Everybody's Hero (11/04)
Staking His Claim (01/04)
Playing For Keeps (10/03)
Fathers and Other Strangers (09/03)
Saving Dr. Ryan (03/03)
What's a Man Gotta Do (01/03)
Loose Screws (09/02)
Honky-Tonk Cinderella (12/01)
Plain-Jane Princess (08/01)
Runaway Bridesmaid (03/01)
Everything But a Husband (12/00)
Anything For Her Marriage (05/00)
Anything For His Children (01/00)
Wedding? Impossible! (02/99)
Wedding Belle (07/98)
Wedding Daze (03/98)
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